A brilliant Spain team featuring teenage sensation Lamine Yamal stands between England and a first major men's international trophy in almost 60 years in Sunday's Euro 2024 final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.
Spain have been the outstanding side at this European Championship, their run to the final taking in wins against title-holders Italy, hosts Germany and pre-tournament favourites France.
England, in contrast, have laboured their way to Berlin, going four straight games without winning inside 90 minutes before a stunning last-minute strike by Ollie Watkins gave them a 2-1 semi-final victory over the Netherlands.
But a team led by Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane contains enough match-winners to believe it can go toe to toe with Spain and end England's wait for glory which goes back to the 1966 World Cup.
Unlike the country's women, who won their equivalent competition two years ago, England's men have never won the European Championship.
Back-to-back Euros finals
This, however, is their second straight continental final after their agonising defeat on penalties against Italy in 2021, and the memory of that will help drive them on in their first-ever final on foreign soil.
"Seeing Italy lift that trophy will haunt me forever," midfielder Declan Rice told the BBC.
"We are now presented with another opportunity where we can write our own history but we are up against another top side who we have to massively respect."
England produced their best football at the tournament against the Dutch in Dortmund, even if they needed a controversial Kane penalty to cancel out Xavi Simons' opener before substitute Watkins won it at the death.
Since beating Serbia 1-0 in their first game, Gareth Southgate's side have been ahead in normal time for a combined total of about 20 minutes across five matches.
They had unconvincing draws with Denmark and Slovenia before overcoming Slovakia in extra time in the last 16, only after being rescued by a Bellingham bicycle kick in injury time.
They came from behind against Switzerland in the last eight before progressing on penalties, but the Dutch performance should give them real belief.
"We've come here to win. We play the team who've been the best team in the tournament and we have a day less to prepare so it's a huge task," admitted Southgate, whose future beyond Sunday's final is currently uncertain.
Spanish revival
Spain's form means they are the favourites going into the first meeting of the nations at either a World Cup or Euros since 1996.
While England have consistently reached the latter stages of tournaments under Southgate, Euro 2024 has confirmed the revival of the nation that dominated international football just over a decade ago.
La Roja won back-to-back European Championships in 2008 and 2012, either side of their triumph at the 2010 World Cup.
They didn't win another knockout game at a tournament until a run to the semi-finals of Euro 2020, but that was followed by a last-16 exit at the last World Cup.
However, Luis de la Fuente then became coach and has overseen a remarkable run of results.
Spain won the UEFA Nations League last year and started their Euros campaign by thumping 2022 World Cup semi-finalists Croatia 3-0 in Berlin.
They outclassed Italy and should have won by more than a 1-0 margin on their way to ending the group stage as the only team with maximum points and no goals conceded.
The knockout rounds have seen them ease past Georgia before coming through gruelling tests against Germany in Stuttgart and then France on Tuesday in Munich, where Yamal became the youngest ever Euros goal-scorer, aged 16 years and 362 days.
With Yamal, 17 on Saturday, on one wing, Nico Williams on the other, and Dani Olmo supporting Alvaro Morata through the middle, Spain have an attack that has scored 13 goals en route to the final, compared to England's seven.
De la Fuente can also call on the world's outstanding holding midfielder in Rodri, but Spain remain wary of their opponents.
"England have shown so far that they can come back in games when they've started losing," Olmo said on Friday as Spain target lifting the Henri Delaunay trophy for a record fourth time.
"They are a team that never gives up, that's for sure."
Defenders Dani Carvajal and Robin Le Normand both missed Spain's semi-final win over France due to suspension but are set to return for the final, which will be refereed by Frenchman Francois Letexier.
Kane v Laporte
Harry Kane's long and painful wait to win any major trophy could come to an end in spectacular fashion if he can lead his country to victory.
The Bayern Munich striker, who scored 44 goals in 45 games at club level in his first season in Germany, has struggled to carry that form into the tournament.
Despite appearing sluggish and not fully fit, Kane has still managed to score three goals to put him in a share of the lead for the Golden Boot.
He also has a good record against Aymeric Laporte, who he regularly came up against during their time together in the Premier League.
One of Kane's all-time best Tottenham performances came in scoring two goals in a shock 3-2 win against Laporte's Manchester City at the Etihad in February 2022.
Laporte has also since departed England for the riches on offer in Saudi Arabia but the Al-Nassr centre-back has proved the doubters wrong at the Euros over questions whether he can still perform at the highest level.
Spanish width v English defence
Spain's two kings of the wing, Lamine Yamal -- who turns 17 on Saturday -- and Nico Williams have helped form the tournament's most swashbuckling attack.
The explosive wide men have ripped opponents to shreds this summer and will be La Roja's main weapon.
Up against them, if Gareth Southgate deploys his wing-back system, will likely be Luke Shaw on England's left and Bukayo Saka on the right.
Shaw has only just returned from a five-month injury lay-off while Saka is a natural attacker, although he has earned rave reviews from Southgate for his diligent defending.
Kyle Walker will need to assist him with shackling 21-year-old Athletic Bilbao star Williams who could soon end up joining one of Europe's elite sides.
Rodri v Bellingham
The next winner of the Ballon d'Or could be decided by which of Rodri or Jude Bellingham emerges victorious.
A lynchpin for both Spain and Manchester City, Rodri has remarkably lost just one game in his last 79 matches for club and country.
Bellingham, though, has already been on the winning side against Rodri this year when Real Madrid knocked City out of the Champions League on penalties.
In his first season in Spain, Bellingham went on to lift the European Cup and La Liga, and could add the Euros just days after his 21st birthday.
The toll of a long season has shown in Bellingham's performances at times, but he kept England in the tournament with a sensational 95th-minute equaliser against Slovakia in the last 16.
